Cyber Attack or Power Grid Failure. Is Your Agency Prepared?
My nearly six years as chief of police in Aurora has caused my brain to rewire itself. I am now conditioned to immediately consider the
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Have You Forgotten WHY?
We often hear the phrase, “Find your Why.” It comes from Simon Sinek’s book, “Start with Why” and means aligning to purpose. When we engage

Growth is Optional
Since we were kids, people have always told us what to do. As soon as we developed the cognitive ability to follow directions, the orders

You are Alive. Do Something.
I just learned that you being alive is an absolute fluke. The probability of your being born was about one in 400 Trillion. For this

Preparation and Cuban Coffee
I’ve been blessed to teach a one-day Blue Courage class with Capt. Michael Nila (Ret.) at Florida International University for FIU PD and surrounding Miami-Dade

Anger is the Only Acceptable Emotion
The backdrop is a classroom in a major city police department where officers are attending our 2-day Blue Courage training. The curriculum is different than

Grace and Forgiveness
There is not a person among us who has not been wronged or hurt by someone. Whether it be a person with whom we are

What Do You Want From Your Police Officers?
The Associated Press just reported that police officers in Connecticut would be prohibited from stopping drivers for a broken headlight, displaying their license plates in

Leadership is about Disappointing People at the Rate They Can Absorb
I went to Harvard. That statement is true(ish) because I was fortunate enough to spend three weeks attending the Harvard Kennedy School of Government “Executives

Resisting Suffocation is not Resisting Arrest
Message to the citizens of Aurora: When I first watched the video of the Minneapolis officer, I didn’t need to wait for more information to

Be Comfortable with Making Others Uncomfortable
Throughout my career, I have been underestimated. From the moment I earned my badge, I’d show up on a call and people would say,

What is this Pandemic Trying to Teach Us?
Life as we know it has stopped. When my daughter received notice that her summer abroad trip to Taiwan was canceled, she was devastated. She

A Lesson for Adults: Talk Less. Care More.
Aurora police officers Skyy Calice and Star Pirela stopped into my office to pitch an idea. They run a mentoring program for females in our